Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse: Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life [Paperback]

"This book presents an innovative treatment for adult survivors that is based on the available science about traumatic abuse and its aftermath. The authors' model is a hybrid of available effective treatments, organized in a progressive and hierarchical fashion. It dramatically shortens treatment time and thus has high value for clinician and patient alike. The treatment manual is concrete, yet attuned to the special needs and issues of survivors, and treatment goals can be quantified to test for effectiveness. A major contribution to the treatment literature."--Christine A. Courtois, PhD, Washington, DC

"This marvelous book comprehensively summarizes the effects of childhood trauma on cognitive, interpersonal, and self-regulatory functions, and presents a lucid, phase-oriented approach to the treatment of the hundreds of thousands of adults who suffer from the long-term effects of early developmental trauma. Filled with handouts and practical, step-by-step information, this book will serve as an invaluable guide to help clinicians organize and implement outstanding evidence-based treatment for this population."--Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, Boston University School of Medicine

"Trauma clinicians have long awaited Cloitre and colleagues' treatment manual for child abuse survivors. The wait was well worth it: the authors offer a highly detailed, step-by-step, incisive approach to the treatment of trauma symptoms, affect regulation problems, and altered schemata. By attending to emotional regulation issues and the need for titrated exposure, and highlighting the importance of the therapeutic alliance, this book provides the missing link in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of complex, abuse-related trauma. I highly recommend this book!"--John Briere, PhD, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

"A perfect aid for helping students understand the trauma a child endures when mistreated, as well as a source of valuable insights about tools for helping the child go through the process of recovery successfully. This text is one of the few I have ever read that respects how fragile and vulnerable we are when young, and why standard methods may not be as effective with children as they usually are with adults....I am amazed at how simply the text conveys the vast complexity that is a tortured child. The chapter order is exactly how I would want my students to progress throughout the course. The description of treatment methods is explanatory without being tedious, and the case examples are perfectly interspersed throughout the text to serve as lecture breaks for discussion. By far the most impressive aspect of the text is the practical advice provided. The numerous examples of how one would deal with a traumatized child in the real world, in actual therapeutic sessions, are most helpful....I cannot praise this work highly enough...The authors effectively convey the message that it is possible to make a positive impact in the life of a child who has seen so much pain and misery. If I can teach only one lesson to my students, I cannot think of a better one to convey."--Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

Marylene Cloitre, PhD, is the founding director of the Institute for Trauma and Stress at the New York University Child Study Center, and the Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Lisa R. Cohen, PhD, is a Research Scientist with the Social Intervention Group at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice in New York City, specializing in the treatment of complex trauma disorders.

Karestan C. Koenen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Society, Human Development, and Health and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is also an experienced clinician, specializing in empirically validated treatments for PTSD.